Jeff Offringa’s Journal

The other day I found myself in what for me has become an increasingly rare thing to do:  defending Batman. Or, for those of you who read my rants on the Batman movies last summer, I was actually sticking up for the Caped Crusader and maintaining that he is indeed a superhero.

Let me elaborate.  Several students came into a last hour class one day last week, and two girls were arguing with a one of the guys that “Batman can’t be a superhero since he doesn’t have a super power.”  Admittedly, I was intrigued.  First, I have to admit – any chance I can get to look cool in front of students is nice.  Secondly, though, was the nature of the argument.

So I jumped in and helped a brother out, so to speak.  “Batman doesn’t need a superpower.  He has money and lots of cool toys,” I replied.

“That doesn’t make him a superhero.  It just makes him rich and crazy!”

“No, that makes him a vigilante,” I said.  “You don’t need powers to be a superhero.”

“Well, then what makes him a superhero?”

“Simple,” I replied.  “What makes him a superhero is his willingness to put on the mask and cape and do what others are either unable or unwilling to do.”  Sadly, at the point the bell rang and I had to end the conversation with a high five from the poor guy, but my point had been made, and the two girls looked more confused than ever.

This conversation came back to me earlier this weekend when I saw the first trailer for a movie I’ve been waiting a long time for – Kickass 2.  This is one movie that I’ve wished a long time for a sequel for, and now it looks to be the only movie I’m really looking forward to this summer (Trek 2 being a Spring movie, IMHO).  For those of you who don’t remember my post on it many, many moons ago, I used that movie (a most excellent movie if you can get past the violence and language) to launch into a discussion on what makes a hero, and I said the same thing then that I’ve said earlier.  Heroes aren’t made into heroes by their powers or abilities.  They’re made heroes by their willingness to be a hero.

In the current Pathfinder campaign I’m playing in, one of the characters is a very amoral thief.  He’s so amoral that he’s annoying the GM, who when he asked the player what his motivation was, the player replied “money.”

Huh.  Then why are you adventuring to save the world?  Last I checked, heroes aren’t in it for the money, but to make the world a better place.

This is why, despite my fundamental differences with Chris Nolan over his version of Batman, I still say he is a hero.  Yes, he does sometime have some “anger management issues,” and (especially in Nolan’s version) he can skew too much toward law over good, but he still does what the rest of us can’t do, or won’t do.

I’ve touched on this theme many times, but it bears repeating.  Are costumed vigilantes real (or at least common)?  No.  But heroes are.  Heroes are those men and women who strap on a uniform and a rifle, leave home and family behind, and walk a patrol in Afghanistan.  Heroes are the firefighter rushing into the burning building, or the cop who gets into a shootout with a crazed gunman in some back alley.  They do not what we necessarily can’t do, but we won’t do – for whatever our reasons might be.

Maybe that sounds trite.  If it does, so be it. It doesn’t change the truth of the statement.  We can – and should – question the methods of our heroes, even the everyday ones.  Just as Batman believes the end doesn’t always justify the means, so is that true of our every day heroes.  But never let us think that they aren’t heroes.

One of my best friends is a career military officer.  Most days he’s just like you and I.  Likes to read fantasy and sci fi.  Argues about Hobbits and Goblins, and whether the movie is a good version of the book.  Watches lots and lots of Anime.  Likes U2 and Johnny Cash.  Yet he puts on his M-16 every day when he’s overseas, keeping us safe.

I hadn’t intended to take this post to this point when I started; funny how things work out this way.  So I’ll just say yes, while Batman is a character who I sometimes disagree with, he is a hero, and I’ll still watch his adventures on the big screen, all the while being thankful for the real heroes of this world.

May they be safe in all they do.